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    Storytelling and Cultural Traditions

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    Shiela Tanglao
    This article discusses storytelling traditions in different cultures as a way to pass down history, traditions and values. It provides examples of storytelling among Native Americans like the Choctaw who use oral stories to teach history and lessons. Native Hawaiians also use oral storytelling called "mo'olelo" along with song, chant and dance to educate youth about behavior and traditions. In Western Africa, griots are respected storytellers, historians and singers who play a role in communities and pass down their role to younger family members. The Jewish Passover seder uses oral storytelling around a family meal to retell the story of Exodus to educate children. Irish culture also had traveling storytellers called seanchai who shared

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    Storytelling and Cultural Traditions

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    Shiela Tanglao
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    This article discusses storytelling traditions in different cultures as a way to pass down history, traditions and values. It provides examples of storytelling among Native Americans like the Choctaw who use oral stories to teach history and lessons. Native Hawaiians also use oral storytelling called "mo'olelo" along with song, chant and dance to educate youth about behavior and traditions. In Western Africa, griots are respected storytellers, historians and singers who play a role in communities and pass down their role to younger family members. The Jewish Passover seder uses oral storytelling around a family meal to retell the story of Exodus to educate children. Irish culture also had traveling storytellers called seanchai who shared

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    This article discusses storytelling traditions in different cultures as a way to pass down history, traditions and values. It provides examples of storytelling among Native Americans like the Choctaw who use oral stories to teach history and lessons. Native Hawaiians also use oral storytelling called "mo'olelo" along with song, chant and dance to educate youth about behavior and traditions. In Western Africa, griots are respected storytellers, historians and singers who play a role in communities and pass down their role to younger family members. The Jewish Passover seder uses oral storytelling around a family meal to retell the story of Exodus to educate children. Irish culture also had traveling storytellers called seanchai who shared

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    132 views3 pages

    Storytelling and Cultural Traditions

    Uploaded by

    Shiela Tanglao
    This article discusses storytelling traditions in different cultures as a way to pass down history, traditions and values. It provides examples of storytelling among Native Americans like the Choctaw who use oral stories to teach history and lessons. Native Hawaiians also use oral storytelling called "mo'olelo" along with song, chant and dance to educate youth about behavior and traditions. In Western Africa, griots are respected storytellers, historians and singers who play a role in communities and pass down their role to younger family members. The Jewish Passover seder uses oral storytelling around a family meal to retell the story of Exodus to educate children. Irish culture also had traveling storytellers called seanchai who shared

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    Storytelling and cultural traditions

    By National Geographic Society, adapted by Newsela staff on 06.26.19


    Word Count 731
    Level 930L

    Students from the Hawaiian Immersion School, Kula Kaiapuni 'O Waiau, perform a hula dance during the 18th annual Ho'omau benefit
    concert at the Waikiki Shell in Honolulu, Hawaii, February 16, 2003. At the time, more than 1,000 students from 3 to 18 were receiving their
    education in the Hawaiian language within the 10 schools located on Oahu. Photo by Ronen Zilberman for AP

    Storytelling exists in all cultures and is as ancient as


    humankind. Before there was writing, there was
    storytelling. It exists to this day to entertain, inform
    and pass down cultural traditions and values.

    Oral storytelling is telling a story through voice and


    gestures. The oral tradition can take many forms, like poems, chants, rhymes, songs, and more. It
    can include myths, legends, fables, religion, prayers, and instructions.

    Here are some examples of storytelling as a method of passing down cultural traditions.

    Choctaw Storytelling

    Like all Native American tribes, the Choctaw have an oral storytelling tradition going back
    generations. Their stories are intended to preserve the tribe's history and educate the young. For
    example, the Choctaw oral tradition includes two stories about how the tribe came to be. One is

    This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.


    about the first Choctaw people moving east to find a better life. The other says the people were
    created from a large hill called a mound. In addition, the oral tradition includes history as well as
    life lessons or moral teachings. Many of the Choctaw traditional tales use animal characters to
    teach such lessons in a humorous way.

    Native Hawaiian Storytelling

    The Native Hawaiian word for story is "mo'olelo," but it can also mean history, legend or tradition.
    It comes from two words. The first, mo'o, means succession, or the passing down of something.
    The second, olelo, means language or speaking. Together they mean "succession of language,"
    because the stories were passed down orally. Native Hawaiian stories include the tale of the first
    Hawaiian, who was born from a potato-like vegetable called a taro. Other stories tell of navigation
    across the seas.

    Native Hawaiian storytellers know a lot about history and genealogy, which is the study of a
    person or family's family tree. They are honored members of society. However, Hawaiian
    storytelling isn't only words. It also uses mele (song), oli (chant), and hula (dance).

    Hawaiians value the stories for more than just entertainment. They also teach the next generation
    about behavior, values and traditions.

    Western African Storytelling

    The peoples of sub-Saharan Africa have strong storytelling traditions. Sub-Saharan Africa refers to
    the countries located south of the Sahara Desert, and includes nations like Ghana and Nigeria. In
    many parts of Africa, the village comes together around a central fire after dinner to listen to the
    storyteller. Like in other cultures, the role of the storyteller is to entertain and educate.

    Griots have been a part of western African culture for generations. Griots could be storytellers,
    counselors to kings, or traveling singers called troubadours. They worked as storytellers,
    genealogists, historians, government representatives, and more. Some of the most famous stories
    from western Africa are about Anansi, the trickster spider.

    The griots were traditionally hereditary jobs, meaning that older family members would pass the
    job down to younger family members. There were also griot schools, where people could get more
    formal training. Both men and women can be griots, but women are called griottes and often don't
    have the same status as the men.

    The Jewish People And The Passover Seder

    Passover is a Jewish holiday celebrated in the spring. The holiday celebrates the Exodus, or the
    story of the escape of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. The celebration includes a feast and
    storytelling tradition known as the seder, or order. During a meal, the story of the Exodus is told
    orally in order to educate the young. The storytelling begins when the youngest child at the seder
    asks the traditional "four questions." These questions ask why some typical Passover traditions
    exist, like not eating breads or other foods that "rise" with yeast. The answers explain the story of
    Exodus and how each Passover tradition represents a part of the story. This story of Exodus is
    written down in the Jewish book, the Torah. The same story is also told in the Old Testament of
    the Bible.

    This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.


    Irish Storytelling

    The seanchai were the traditional Irish storytellers. They would travel from village to village,
    telling ancient legends and tales of wisdom. They told old myths as well as local news and
    happenings. Prominent in the Irish oral tradition are tales of kings and heroes.

    Today, storytelling and interest in storytelling appear to be making a comeback. As one Irish
    storyteller put it, "It's a need for connection… I think storytelling nurtures connections with people
    in real life."

    This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

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